TOEFL Writing Section: Format, Scoring, and Prep

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TOEFL Writing Section: Format, Scoring, and How to Improve

The TOEFL writing section is the last part of the exam, and like Speaking, it changed substantially in the January 2026 redesign. If you’ve researched this exam before, you may be expecting an “integrated” writing task that combines a reading passage and a listening clip. That task no longer exists. The current TOEFL writing test uses three different tasks instead, each testing a different writing skill. If you’re still learning about the exam overall, our guide on what the TOEFL test is and how it works is a good place to start. Here’s what the current Writing section actually looks like, how it’s scored, and how to prepare.

What the TOEFL Writing Section Involves

The Writing section now has three distinct TOEFL writing parts.

Build a Sentence gives you a set of scrambled words or phrases, and you arrange them into a complete, grammatically correct sentence or question. This task tests your understanding of English sentence structure directly. There are 10 of these items, and each takes roughly 30 to 40 seconds to complete.

Write an Email asks you to write a short email for an academic or social situation, such as making a request or proposing a solution. This task measures clear communication, staying on topic, and using proper email conventions. There is one email item, with about 7 minutes to write it.

Write for an Academic Discussion asks you to contribute to an online classroom discussion by stating and supporting an opinion, similar to a real university discussion board. This task measures how well you develop an idea and respond to what other students have already said. There is one item, with about 10 minutes to write it.

These three TOEFL writing topics cover very different registers, from a single grammatically correct sentence to a full paragraph of academic opinion writing, so the section tests a wider range of writing skill than its older single-task version did. Across all three tasks, the section includes 12 items in total, with a base time of about 23 minutes. Responses are typed on a keyboard, and no outside subject knowledge is required for any task.

How Writing Is Scored

Writing uses the same 1–6 band scale as the other three sections. If you’re not sure what score to aim for, our guide to what counts as a good TOEFL score breaks this down by target school and program.

TOEFL iBT score scale (1–6) by CEFR level

C2 · 6 · (114+)

C1 · 5–5.5 · (95+)

B2 · 4–4.5 · (72+)

B1 · 3–3.5 · (44+)

A2 · 2–2.5 · (24+)

A1 · 1–1.5 · (0+)

Format: 1–6 scale score · old 0–120 scale equivalent (minimum)

Scoring differs by task. Build a Sentence is scored entirely by machine: each item is either correct or incorrect, with no partial credit. Write an Email and Write for an Academic Discussion are each scored using a 0-to-5 rubric, combining AI scoring with human review. ETS notes that scoring on the written tasks focuses on how clearly and effectively you communicate your ideas, not on producing a flawless first draft. In practice, this means a clear, simply written response with correct grammar tends to score better than a complex one with mistakes.

Mistakes That Hold Writing Scores Back

Mistake

Losing track of sentence structure in Build a Sentence, since scrambled words make it easy to misplace articles or pronouns.

Fix

Study common English word order patterns, and double-check small words like "the" and "a" before submitting.

Mistake

Writing an email that's too short to cover the prompt or too long to stay error-free.

Fix

Address every required point in the prompt, and aim for a length that covers them without adding unnecessary content.

Mistake

Using an academic, essay-like tone in the Email task instead of a natural, conversational one.

Fix

Write the way you would write a real message to a person, since this task tests everyday communication, not formal writing.

Mistake

Giving a vague position in the Academic Discussion task, like "there are advantages and disadvantages," without picking a side.

Fix

State a clear position early, then support it with one well-developed reason rather than several weak ones.

Mistake

Ignoring what other students have already said in the Academic Discussion task instead of engaging with it.

Fix

Reference or respond to the existing discussion thread, since the task is designed to be part of an ongoing conversation.

How to Raise Your TOEFL Writing Score

Use current TOEFL writing practice materials

Since the format changed completely in 2026, older practice resources built around the previous single integrated task will not prepare you for what you'll actually see. Confirm any source reflects the current three-task format.

Practice sentence structure patterns for Build a Sentence

Study common English word order, including where connector words like "although" or "because" go, and practice rearranging scrambled sentences under time pressure.

Plan before you write, but write quickly

For the Email and Academic Discussion tasks, take a few seconds to note the points you need to cover before you start typing, since staying on topic matters more than writing at length.

Match your tone to the task

Write the Email task the way you'd write a real message to a person, and write the Academic Discussion task the way you'd contribute a genuine opinion to a class discussion, not an academic essay.

Leave time to proofread

Reserving even one to two minutes at the end of the longer tasks to check for missing articles or subject-verb agreement errors can noticeably improve your score.

Writing vs. the Other TOEFL Sections

If you’re weighing Writing against the rest of the TOEFL exam or the TOEFL test as a whole, here is how the four sections currently compare. Still deciding which English proficiency test is right for you? Our comparison of TOEFL vs. IELTS vs. Duolingo can help you choose.

Section	What It Tests	Format	Approx. Time
Reading	Vocabulary, comprehension, inference	3 task types, up to 50 questions, 2 adaptive modules	~30 min
Listening	Comprehension of conversations, announcements, and lectures	4 task types, 47 items, 2 adaptive modules	~29 min
Speaking	Spoken accuracy, fluency, and natural conversation	2 task types, 11 items	~8 min
Writing	Sentence structure, email writing, and academic opinion writing	3 task types, 12 items	~23 min

Explore the other TOEFL sections

Next Steps to Improve Your Writing

Writing well under time pressure, across three very different tasks, takes focused practice, not just strong general English skills. If you want structured, one-on-one support to build these strategies into real habits before test day, ISAL’s TOEFL Test Prep program is designed to help you do exactly that.

TOEFL Test Prep Program Contact Us

Sources

Educational Testing Service. "TOEFL iBT Writing Section." ETS, 2026, www.ets.org/toefl/test-takers/ibt/about/content/writing.html.

Educational Testing Service. "TOEFL iBT Test Content: A Breakdown of Test Sections." ETS, 2026, www.ets.org/toefl/test-takers/ibt/about/content.html.

Educational Testing Service. "TOEFL iBT Score Scale 1 to 6: CEFR & IELTS Comparison." ETS, 2026, www.ets.org/toefl/institutions/ibt/score-scale-update.html.

"TOEFL Writing Tasks: Format, Timing & Scoring (2026 Guide)." Study.com, 2026, study.com/toefl/writing/what-are-the-3-new-toefl-2026-writing-tasks-including-the-email-task.html.

"How to Improve Your TOEFL Writing Score (2026 Format)." Magoosh, 2026, magoosh.com/toefl/how-to-improve-toefl-writing/.